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| Paraprotopteryx Fossil range: Early Cretaceous |
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| Paraprotopteryx gracilis Zheng, X., Zhang, Z., and Hou, L. 2007 |
Paraprotopteryx is a genus of enantiornithine bird which lived during the Early Cretaceous. Its fossils have been found in the Yixian Formation of China, along with other early birds and feathered dinosaurs.
Distinguishing Characteristics
Paraprotopteryx has a furcula (wishbone) which is shaped like a Y with a narrow angle between the clavicles. It also has an unusually shaped breastbone, distinguishing it from other birds in its suborder, the enantiornithines. The carpometacarpus is only partially fused.
It has four long rectrices (flight feathers on the tail), which may represent an important step in feather evolution. For comparison, most modern birds have twelve rectrices; grouse often have more than twelve, while grebes have none. In Paraprotopteryx they may have served as a secondary sex characteristic.
References
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